Rider Education to Trump Mandatory Helmet Laws?

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.allaboutbikes.com/motorcyle-news/law-legislation/4570-rider-education-to-trump-mandatory-helmet-laws?
Rider Education to Trump Mandatory Helmet Laws?
April 2011
Hold on to your seat, congress is doing something logical. US lawmakers say that they want to concentrate on rider education, instead of forcing states to enact mandatory helmet laws.

U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), as well as a few colleagues, will be introducing a new resolution on May 2nd that will encourage the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to stop pushing for mandatory helmet laws. The resolution will encourage the NHTSA to focus on motorcycle education and crash prevention instead.

The resolution reads:

The House "recognizes the importance of motorcycle crash prevention as the primary source of motorcycle safety (and) encourages NHTSA to focus on motorcycle crash prevention and rider education as the most significant priorities in motorcycle safety."

As a rider, I always wear a helmet and encourage everyone to do the same, but I’m also firmly against mandatory helmet laws. Wearing a helmet is a choice that should be made by the rider and not a governing body.

Since 1996, the NHTSA has been banned from lobbying for mandatory helmet laws. The resolution reinforces congress’s intent to keep this ban in place.